I am sure you all have headaches every now and then. I for one can’t tolerate even the mildest of headaches. I just have to take a pill every single time although I try not to.
So, if headaches are a reality, would you be surprised if I told you that the brain can’t actually feel pain? If you have heard it before, you won’t, but if you haven’t, you certainly will!
Let’s first see how pain works. There are pain receptors throughout our bodies called nociceptors. These are located in skin, muscles, joints and some organs.
Whenever you have an unpleasant stimuli, like someone hitting you or pinching you, these receptors are activated. They then send a signal to the brain telling it about the said stimuli and then the brain processes it as pain.
But the same pain receptors are not present in the brain. That is why, surgeons are able to perform surgery on brain tissue while the patient is still awake as he won’t feel any kind of pain.
So, what about headaches, you ask? Well, there are lots of layers of tissue between the outer skin and the brain itself that are designed to protect it from harm. All of these layers of tissue have pain receptors.
It is these tissues that are around your head and neck that ache under different circumstances like stress, cold, or due to some diseases.
So, in conclusion, no the brain can’t feel pain but it is the reason you feel pain!
Source: http://www.brainfacts.org/about-neuroscience/ask-an-expert/articles/2014/if-the-brain-cant-feel-pain-why-do-i-get-headaches/